The 10 Best Olive Oils, According to Our Tests

Best Overall Olive Oil Set

Brightland The Duo

$74 at Amazon View on Brightland.co $56 at Bloomingdales

For a crowd-pleasing olive oil that still feels nuanced and thoughtful, you can’t beat Brightland. The brand crafts oils using heirloom olives from generations-old family farms, resulting in a delicious drizzle that elevates every meal. This duo combines two of their best-selling oils: Awake and Alive. Awake is a bold oil made from early-harvest Arbequina olives meant for hearty meals like stews and soups, and Alive is a grassy blend of Arbequina, Arbosana, and Koroneiki olives that’s ideal for lighter fare like salads and baked goods. This pair works beautifully together as a cooking and finish oil, or separately to complement any dish. 

During testing, we were impressed by these oils' earthy and elevated aroma; each had its distinct flair. The texture was thin and clean, with a consistency that coated our mouths lightly without feeling too oily or heavy. While both blends in this set had a pleasant taste, neither was overpowering, making this a good all-around choice for home cooks looking for mild cooking oils or anyone who wants to add basic — not overwhelming— flavor to their favorite pasta recipes or cozy fall soup recipes. 

Size: 375 milliliters each | Origin: California | Use: Cooking, finishing

Best Finishing Olive Oil

Branche No. 02

View on Branche.co

If you spend any time watching chefs work on TikTok (or The Bear for that matter), you’ll probably notice that the pros almost always finish their dish with an extra drizzle — but you may want to think twice before reaching for the same jug you just used to coat your frying pan. Not every olive oil can flex between cooking and finishing, which calls for a more delicate mouth feel and robust, in-your-face flavor. This single-origin oil from Branche is made from Arbequina olives and has a multilayered flavor profile that can seamlessly transition between different foods and cuisines. 

While taste-testing, this olive oil undoubtedly garnered the most descriptors for its dynamic flavor, with identifiable notes of pepper, lemon pith, apricot, basil, and jasmine. We found it earthier than many of the other finishing oils we tested, which gave our dishes a nice grounding final touch. The texture of the oil had a glossy, lightweight finish that didn’t linger too long on our tongue but still felt buttery and indulgent. While this bottle is a splurge, it’s a near-effortless way to upgrade even the most humble dish into something truly restaurant-worthy. 

Size: 375 milliliters | Origin: Spain | Use: Finishing

Best Single Bottle Olive Oil Splurge

Flamingo Estate Heritage Extra Virgin Olive Oil

View on Flamingoestate.com $48 at Shopterrain.com

This bottle of olive oil from Los Angeles-based Flamingo Estate has it all: gorgeous branding, heirloom olives (from 150-year-old trees, mind you), and a vibrant, peppery flavor that adds a little zip to everything from hummus and salad to fresh fish and gelato. Made from a blend of rarer olives like Columella, Nocellara del Belice, Cailletier, and Lechin de Sevilla, this Ojai-sourced oil carried on centuries-old traditional hand-picked and pressed methods to bottle a truly elevated, splurge-worthy bottle of olive oil. 

Upon opening this bottle, we were immediately taken by the fresh notes of green apples, green tea, and grassiness that hit our palates. The flavor was delicate and clean, with a slight buttery feel that made it luxurious and indulgent, especially when drizzled atop a classic pairing like tomato and mozzarella. While we prefer this pricey pick as a finishing oil, it does have a high smoke point, meaning it’s just as versatile as cooking oil, where the fresh-yet-buttery flavor lends extra richness to braised meats or rich stews. This bottle looks beautiful dotting your counter or holding court on the dinner table, making it a splurge-worthy kitchen gift for the home cook.

Size: 473 milliliters | Origin: California | Use: Cooking, finishing

Best Everyday Olive OIl

California Olive Ranch Everyday Extra Virgin Olive Oil

$15 at Amazon $24 $14 at Target $29 at Walmart

You probably recognize California Olive Ranch’s olive oil bottle from your local grocery store, and that’s exactly the point. Whether you’re looking for quality everyday olive oil or want something you don’t have to remember to special order each month, this versatile blend is easygoing and delicious. Made exclusively from olives grown in California, this kitchen staple is well-suited to any application, from dressings and marinades to sauteeing and grilling. 

During testing, we were impressed by the savory-meets-sweet fragrance of this olive oil, and we picked up on notes of green apple and baking spices. The color was a bit more yellow than some of the more luxe picks on our list, but we were happily surprised by the just-right texture, which coated the tongue pleasantly but didn’t linger too long or make your whole mouth feel like an oil slick. Most impressively, this oil seemed to flex the best between cooking and finishing, handling each application with impressive flair and helping to elevate everything from a humble veggie platter to a dessert made from in-season stone fruit. 

Size: 500 milliliters | Origin: California | Use: Cooking, finishing

Best Value Olive Oil Set

Graza Drizzle & Sizzle Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

$43 at Amazon View on Graza.co View on Bespokepost.com

There’s no denying that olive oil can be one of the pricier ingredients in your pantry, especially when you start shopping for something high-quality. Graza’s “The Duo” set stands out for its approachable under-$40 price and high quality. We appreciate the brand’s focus on sourcing and pressing single-origin oils from 100% Picual olives from Spain. Like the Brightland duo, this set grants you two oils with slightly different uses: Sizzle, a cooking oil made from mid-season olives for a more mellow flavor, and Drizzle, a finishing oil made from younger olives that are picked earlier and thus has a more robust flavor. 

While taste-testing these oils, we were impressed by their classic aroma and taste. Both had a grassy aroma, with subtle notes of peach and citrus that added just the right touch of complexity. The finishing oil was light yet buttery, with a gentle taste that highlighted the flavor of the foods we tried with it. We liked the thicker texture and mild flavor of Sizzle, which is layered but not robust enough to overpower your signature sauce or weeknight stirfry. We also like the user-friendly bottles. The squeeze-top design is straight out of a pro kitchen, and we loved how easy it made it to portion out our oil and add a finishing drizzle. 

Size: 500 milliliters (Drizzle) and 750 milliliters (Sizzle) | Origin: Spain | Use: Cooking, finishing

A Bold and Spicy Olive Oil for Dipping

LAUDEMIO Extra Virgin Olive Oil

$40 at Amazon

A staple in many Italian restaurants and specialty cheese shops, Laudemio Extra Virgin Olive Oil has a well-earned reputation as a robust blend that is the next best thing to a trip to Tuscany. Made from olives sourced from dozens of estates around Tuscany, this EVOO has a bold presence, with a strong peppery bite that begs to be drizzled and dipped.

During testing, this olive oil earned some of the highest marks for aroma, with earthy notes of wood and grass melding with fresher hints of cucumber, green apple, and peppercorn. The flavor was equally impressive, with a delicate introduction and peppery kick at the back that finished with notes of baking spices. Texturally, this oil was lightweight, yet still held its own when paired with richer items, like cheese, and lingered pleasantly on the tongue. This olive oil doesn’t need much to stand out — a fresh loaf of bread from your go-to bread machine and some good balsamic are all you need to make this one sing. 

Size: 500 milliliters | Origin: Italy | Use: Finishing

Best Olive Oil for Drizzling Over Pasta

ENZO Bold Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil

View on Enzostable.com View on Hivebrands.com

Looking for a way to make your weeknight bowl of pasta come alive? Try finishing it with a drizzle of Enzo’s Bold Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, which is boldly old-school. Made from 100% organic estate-grown olives, this punchy blend has main character energy, making it a great choice for dishes where olive oil is the star — think homemade pesto recipes, a vibrant salad dressing, or even a fresh-from-the-oven baguette.

You may notice a bit of a peppery burn with this olive oil, which nods to its freshness (some pros even suggest that good olive oil should make you cough). During testing, this olive oil made a bold first impression with its pungent smell, which hit us first with spice followed shortly by a nice grassy funk. The taste of this blend was equally as memorable, with an herbaceous appeal that makes it the ideal match for any number of iconic Italian dishes. For all that flavor, the texture of this oil was surprisingly light, with a pleasant coating that keeps the nuanced notes lingering on your palette just slightly after each bite. 

Size: 250 milliliters, 500 milliliters, or 3 liters | Origin: California | Use: Finishing

A Mild and Delicate Cooking Olive Oil

Partanna Sicilian Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil

$29 at Amazon $20 at Target $20 at Walmart

We’ve all been subjected to a kitchen that stinks like oil after cooking, or a “crunchy” piece of fritto misto that gushes pungent oil upon first bite. Well, home cooks take note: that’s what you don’t want in a cooking oil. The olive oil you choose to cook with should be mild and delicate, like this unfiltered extra virgin olive oil from Partanna Foods. Made from Castelvetrano olives grown in the heart of southwest Sicily, this understated oil will bring out the flavors of whatever you’re cooking without masking your food.

While testing the oil, the first thing we noticed was that, well, we barely noticed it at all. The aroma was so mild that we had to smell it several times to pick up the blend’s trademark notes of artichoke, almond, and green apple. The flavor profile was equally delicate, with a slightly herby aftertaste that was pleasant and mild. The texture wasn’t super syrupy, but the oil does have a cloudier appearance than others on our list, thanks to its unfiltered nature. This also means there are small amounts of olive pulp and sediment in the oil, which boosts the blend’s level of antioxidants.

Size: 500 milliliters | Origin: Italy | Use: Cooking

An Earthy and Spicy Cooking Olive Oil

Frankies 457 Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

$39 $34 at Amazon

Frankies 457 is a New York City institution, and we’re not going to say that this olive oil is why — but it plays a role. As classic as you’d expect from a red sauce joint, this organic oil is made from Nocellara del Belice olives grown and harvested in Sicily, which impart a nutty and rich flavor. Equally well-equipped for the kitchen or the table, this versatile oil is a great buy for any home cook looking to spring for a well-rounded, do-it-all olive oil they can rely on regardless of what’s on the plate that evening.

During testing, this olive oil earned high marks for its subtle aroma, which hit us with the bright fruity scent of green apple and barely ripe stonefruit followed by herbaceous woodsy notes with a peppery kick. The grassy flavor makes its presence known without occupying too much attention on the palette, with a black pepper finish that tickles the throat at the end. This blend stood out the most when paired with fruit and bread, but it also held its own against the acidity of tomatoes and elevated our chunks of crusty bread. We'll be coating our Dutch ovens with this olive oil to make hearty stew recipes this season.

Size: 500 milliliters | Origin: Italy | Use: Cooking, finishing

A Balanced and Buttery Roasting Olive Oil

Heraclea Mature Harvest

$33 at Amazon View on Heraclea.co

Roasting may not be the first cooking method that comes to mind when we say “olive oil,” but there are some olive oil blends up for the task. When cooking in the high heat of the oven or stovetop, you’ll want an olive oil with a high smoke point that won’t impart a burned or acrid flavor upon cooking. Heraclea’s Mature Harvest Extra Virgin Olive Oil is one such match for the task. The Turkish oil is made using centuries-old heirloom olives harvested when mature for a more mild and subtle flavor.

We were impressed with this oil throughout testing, giving it high marks in almost every category, especially its just-right mouthfeel that wasn’t too light or heavy. The mild flavor and aroma carried citrusy and grassy notes, though neither were so discernable that they’d ruin a roast chicken recipe. Acidic foods like tomatoes overpowered this subtle oil. However, it took on a pleasant, almost buttery quality when used as a dip for bread. 

Size: 500 milliliters | Origin: Turkey | Use: Cooking, finishing